Boris Johnson is attracting sympathy on account of his ill health from coronavirus – but his Government’s handling of the pandemic should be met with the opposite reaction.
As the death toll mounts and the NHS struggles to deal with the crisis, the public should be angry with the UK Government over its handling of this national emergency.
The UK Government knew for years about the risks posed by a flu-like pandemic but this was not reflected in its actions behind the scenes.
The UK was woefully under-prepared for the biggest challenge in 80 years and the Government has been found wanting.
When other countries confirmed their first cases of Covid-19, they were quick to enforce social distancing and a strict lockdown.
Britain was the opposite of decisive. Johnson’s administration sent out mixed messages to the public.
Banning mass gatherings should have been implemented immediately but the country was left open-mouthed as the Cheltenham Festival and pop concerts went ahead.
The overall strategy was also a dog’s dinner. First, the UK Government backed “herd immunity” – based on large infection rates – then dumped it in favour of containment.
March should have been a month where instructions were quickly handed down to the public but instead we got dither and delay.
Tory Ministers have been clapping for NHS staff during the crisis but the Government’s performance on the health service has also been negligent.
Although the lack of ventilators was a basic mistake, it was also symbolic of the capacity issues faced by the NHS.
For 10 years, the Tories have denied staff the wages they deserve and undermined the NHS with half-baked structural reforms.
Even worse, the Government expected health and social care staff to save lives without the correct personal protective equipment.
Nobody should worry that going to work could cost them their lives – but this is the disgraceful risk many employees face.
And while testing has formed a key plank of the approach of other countries in combating the crisis, only a tiny proportion of the population has been tested in the UK.
This catalogue of errors has put people at greater risk and will inevitably lead to more deaths.
The Government’s exit strategy has been similarly cack-handed.
Some Ministers want to ease restrictions next month, others are not quite so sure.
We deserve better than this divided and appalling Government.
